Sphinx
by MaStEr-WoLfIe
Summary: Alex Rider is now grown and still works for MI6...but now faces his most challenging mission yet. I'm no good at summaries...just read!
1. Chapter one

**Disclaimer:** Alex Rider belongs to Anthony Horowitz…not me…duh!

Twenty-five year old Alex Rider looked down the plane window at the dark blue ocean below. What was it that he had said? Eleven years ago on this day sitting across from, Mrs. Jones and Alan Blunt?

_"I don't want to be a spy. I just want to be a normal schoolboy and play soccer." _

Now, on the plane, Alex almost laughed at that memory. Had he really thought that he could stay away from those people? He had been left alone for a while by the MI6, but the experiences with MI6 had left him different. He started noticing things he wouldn't have noticed before, and if he wanted to know about something, he would go investigate it himself. The incident with Skoda had been enough to speak for itself. He had also lost all of his friends except for Tom, who remained fiercely loyal to him.

So even though he despised doing so, he continued to work for MI6. Even the usually silent and impassive Blunt had remarked that the spy work was in Alex's blood. So now, eleven years after the Stormbreaker incident, Alex Rider was on a plane headed to Los Angeles, California.

So far this mission had been exhausting. Alex and two other operatives with MI6 had been chasing a clever and evasive killer known only as Sphinx. Sphinx had sabotaged the British government, disappeared with large sums of money, and returned to kidnap the Prime Ministers two young children and hold them for ransom. Alex had been sent along with fellow operatives, twenty-eight year old Nick Driaze and twenty-six year old Angel Chu, to find the children and capture Sphinx: dead or alive. Sphinx had taken them on a wild chase full of deceit through Europe, to parts of Southern Asia, Egypt and now, finally to Los Angeles. Along the way, Sphinx had murdered one of the children as a warning when the British government had made too bold of a move in the negotiation process.

The grounds of this mission had become very tentative. One slight mistake and their cover could get blown. It would not take a lot for Sphinx to murder the remaining child.

Alex exchanged glances with Nick, who was two seats down and had started a conversation with an old couple, posing as an interested tourist. Angel was next to him, reading some Chinese novel. Angel and Alex would be posing as an American couple returning to Los Angeles after their vacation in England. The CIA had become involved and would meet them at the airport. Alex looked out the window again and wondered how this mission would go.

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Across the aisle, Sphinx looked at Alex and his colleagues, and smiled. Everything was going as planned. MI6 was sending it's agents right into the mouth of the lion…


	2. Chapter Two

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the Alex Rider books

Thanks for the reviews: **_adcohen, gunner10000, magic noden, _**and**_ karatematt_**!

Readers: I'm sorry if I move this too fast, but I have the whole thing planned out, and I can't wait to get to this certain part! But I have no idea to do after that part, so….:D

** Some Scorpia spoilers will be in this fanfic **

**Francis Bartemely Institution of Law: Hidden FBI Headquarters in downtown Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. :**

Alex, Angel and Nick sat at a long oak table with another half dozen FBI, CIA and NSA agents in the heavily air conditioned room. The director of the operation, Joshua Klemmings, entered the room and the briefing began:

"Agents, Operatives, time is short and precious, but I'll still start from the beginning. A month ago, a criminal under the name "Sphinx" had cleverly sabotaged the British government by use of infiltration and disappeared with large sums and left the British government on the brink of collapse.

Apparently, this was not enough for Sphinx because Sphinx returned and kidnapped the Prime Minister's two children: 10 year old Nicholas and 8 year old Natalie. Leaving only some "riddles of the Sphinx" at scenes of crime, Sphinx has led the British MI6 from parts of Europe, Southern Asia, and Egypt. When the British negotiator who was working towards the release of the children made a sarcastic remark during interrogations, Sphinx killed 10-year old Nicholas. His body was found in Egypt at the base of the pyramid of the Sphinx. He had been beaten, and suffocated by dirt. During autopsies, another riddle was found in the dirt in his lungs. From that riddle, it is believed that Sphinx is now in Los Angeles. We are now assisting the British MI6 in the retrieval of Natalie and the capture or termination of Sphinx. For this operation, we are joined by MI6 operatives Alex Rider, Angel Chu, and Nick Driaze who have been leading the hunt for Sphinx."

Some people turned and nodded at the three agents.

"We will start from general surveillance of the area. Little Natalie had been spotted two days ago near Sunset Boulevard just outside of the Hollywood area with what witnesses described as an "old lady wrapped in a shawl". That will be only one of the many disguises of Sphinx. Mr. Rider and Miss Chu are posing as an American couple, Stephan and Leah Drake. Mr. Driaze is acting as a British tourist. The rest of us will try to blend into the crowd or coffee shops in LAPD uniforms, or such…any questions?"

A young man raised a hand, "Director Klemmings, does that mean we will be surveying the area with no idea what we are looking for?"

Klemmings sighed, "I'm afraid so, Agent Cooper. So far we are not even sure whether Sphinx is a man or woman...Sphinx had appeared to us from time to time in many different forms. For example—"

There was a knock on the door and the secretary poked her head in and handed an envelope to Klemmings.

"This just came for you, sir. The young lady insisted that it was an emergency."

Scowling, Klemmings tucked the envelope into his suit pocket and turned back to the table, but Alex realized something…

"Open it." Said Alex….what if…?

Klemmings shot Alex a puzzled look, but obliged. There was silence as he tore open the envelope, and then Klemmings let out a gasp as he surveyed the envelope's contents. Alex reached over, grabbed the paper and felt himself pale as well. It was impossible.

On the paper was a single silver Scorpion. Alex had not seen this symbol since he was 14. Scorpia. Alex also noticed something else.

"Somebody give me a match or a lighter." He demanded.

Agent Cooper dutifully handed him a lighter, which Alex ignited and held over the paper. Slowly, the words came:

_"And thus I clothe my naked villainy_

_With old odd ends, stol'n forth of holy writ_

_And seem a saint when I most play the devil"_

_William Shakespeare_

"It's Sphinx!" cried Angel, but Alex paid no attention, focusing on the Scorpion, instead. Could it be possible that Sphinx had worked with Scorpia before? The once powerful secret organization was now obsolete, and nothing more than an occasional nuisance. Or could it be…could it be that Sphinx had unearthed Alex's previous history with Scorpia? Alex hoped that it was the latter. If Sphinx had indeed trained with Scorpia, then Sphinx would be highly trained and skilled. And the quote…Alex sighed, forget the quote, Sphinx had proved to be more clever than any of them from the beginning. For now, the quote would remain a mystery.

Klemmings was now interrogating the bewildered secretary, and Alex, Nick and Angel prepared to begin their mission by pretending to be shopping at the area around Sunset Boulevard.

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Mingling with the thick crowd of afternoon shoppers, Alex and Angel sipped from their Boba drinks and looked around casually, but sharply from time to time for some kind of clue. Alex was already carrying a cheap shirt and skirt he had bought with Angel at Ross as part of their cover as shoppers. Alex could spot and recognize some of the American agents scattered through the crowds, and saw Nick a few times, but was careful to show no signs of recognition. Alex scanned the area again, and THERE! What looked like a figure of a woman with a head scarf around her face clutching a small girl with tufts of blond hair sticking out of a messily done head scarf tightly on the wrist. He left Angel for a moment saying quickly, "You go on and wait for me at Starbucks honey, I've got to call up Poppy, " and ignoring her questioning look. Quickly, but casually, he moved through the crowds, toward the woman and the child. A fat man with a stroller blocked his vision for a second and suddenly, they were gone…both the woman and the child. Alex cursed and looked around at the waves of people. Sphinx and Natalie were no where to be seen. Looking towards the area he had last seen the two, however, Alex noticed a scrap of paper on the ground. He hurried over quickly and picked it up. On the paper, was a bunch of numbers that seemed to become a coded message.

Unbeknownst to Alex, as he picked up the paper, Nick Driaze was gunned down just two blocks away.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey Peoples! Sorry it's been a while since I last updated, but I've been a bit busy with summer school and stuff.

Well…I think my writing style may have changed a bit, so it might be a bit different now, sorry! And I'm sorry if this is a bit corny and doesn't live up to your expectations adcohen!

Thanks for all the reviews!

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The voice sent chills down the back of Sphinx's spine. Even after so many years, Sphinx had yet to get used to the employer.

"There is a change in plans, instead of one by one, I want the rest of the FBI and MI6 all eliminated at once. Perhaps a bomb during one of their meetings…"

"It's understood," said Sphinx, "but what of Alex Rider?"

"You know what to do, " said the employer coldly, "Notify our contacts in the area…..and don't mess up again, Sphinx."

The line went dead.

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Alex's earpiece buzzed to life.

"Sphinx got Nick"

"What?" Angel whispered.

"Sphinx got Nick. He's dead. He was gunned down in the middle of the street." Director Klemming's voice sounded flat. Emotionless. Just like Alan Blunt's.

For a moment, Alex was too shocked to concentrate on what the FBI was saying. _Nick_. Alex felt a rush of sorrow for the man he had worked with, but it quickly faded away and was replaced by anger. For Sphinx to have been bold enough to gun down Nick in the middle of a crowded Los Angeles street. Alex shook himself a bit and listened to what the director of the FBI was saying:

"...very bold. We're gonna have an emergency meeting back at HQ in an hour or so, but we can't let the…unfortunate death of Nick Driaze stall the investigation as Sphinx may have intended it to be. Agent Rider, we're sending an agent to collect the message you found, and you and Agent Chu will have to split up to investigate separate leads…"

A couple hours later, Alex arrived at a crowded sandwich shop in San Diego. He sat down at a table and surveyed the crowded room, wondering if it was a trap.

_Go to 1248 Compton Ave. and I will meet you there, Alex Rider, at 1:00pm. Go alone and tell no one you are going. Bring no weapons. Perhaps the child shall be returned to you. _

_With love, _

_Sphinx _

Alex had followed all the instructions on that note, going against all the training and common sense he had. Feeling a bit nervous, Alex got up to buy a cup of tea. As he stood up, he collided with a woman carrying a cup of coffee, hot coffee spilling over both of them.

"Oh…dear…I'm sorry!" exclaimed the woman. She had an English accent.

"It's fine…my fault" mumbled Alex with an American accent. He looked at the woman again…the red hair…blue it be?

"Alex?" whispered the woman, "What are you doing here?"

"Sabina…" said Alex, and then, he said, louder, "No, I'm sorry, I'm sure you've got the wrong person!"

Realization dawned in Sabina's eyes as she remembered what line of work Alex was in. She reached into her pocket quickly and pulled out a business card that had her address and phone number on it, and handed it to Alex. Then she was gone.

Alex sighed and sat back down. He waited for an hour and thirty minutes, until he decided that Sphinx would not show. Alex left the shop and walked back to his rental car, feeling a bit frustrated at the wasted time. He had been a fool to trust Sphinx like that. As Alex neared his car, he saw that there was a package on the hood. He hurried to the car and picked up the package without hesitation. The package was square, and wrapped in white computer paper with the word "Sphinx" scrawled on the wrapping. Alex turned it over a few times, and then decided to open it.

Inside, there was a small PDA. Alex turned it on to find one link in the front. Alex observed the link. It was to the website of a local news station, ABC 7. Alex clicked the link:

_Breaking News: _

_Los Angeles, CA- Two hours ago, the Francis Baretlemy Institution of Law in downtown Lost Angeles burst into flames. Witnesses say several explosions were also heard. According the local officers, there were no survivors and arson was most likely involved, making this the 5th arson fire in Los Angeles in the past week. This case differed from the others, however, as law enforcement officers found the word "Sphinx" scrawled into the walls in charcoal. The LAPD and the fire department refused to comment, and for unknown reasons, the FBI became involved in the case…_

Alex stopped reading, feeling a bit sick. The bomb—if that was what it was, was timed when everyone had assembled for the meeting. Was this another one of Sphinx's little tricks? Or was it true? Was everyone really dead? Alex couldn't be sure. He looked up and surveyed the street for some place that would provide him with another source. The newspaper stands were obviously no use since the article was supposed to be breaking news. Alex looked again: there was an internet café down the street. Alex hurried to the internet café, which was mostly empty. A young, nervous-looking clerk greeted him and led him to a computer, stuttering about how sorry he was since most the computers had "glitches". Alex thanked the clerk and then went on the internet. He tried every American TV station he knew of. CNN, MSNBC, CBS…it was all the same. Everyone was dead…

Alex had no time to mourn, however, since at that moment, a pop-up screen appeared. Alex was about to close it, but he froze as he read the words across the screen:

**Sphinx: **Hello Alex Rider. I'm sorry I couldn't make it earlier. Obviously, I had something to do.

Alex replied, boiling with anger.

**Alex Rider: **You bloody bastard. I'll kill you, Sphinx.

**Sphinx: **tsk-tsk. What a temper you have, dearAlex. Unfortunately, you are in no position of negotiate with me. Might you want to know why, Alex?

**Alex Rider: **…and why would that be?

**Sphinx: **I've been looking into your history Alex Rider. It seems you had a friend that moved into this area 11 years ago? A girlfriend? A certain Miss Sabina Pleasure perhaps? Her house is quite nice…very neat and clean. Her chairs are quite nice and soft also, so she won't get uncomfortable as she's bound to it…

**Alex Rider: **Why are you doing this? What do you want?

**Sphinx: **Scorpia never forgives, never forgets, Alex…

**authors note: I would have made it longer but I have three tests and a midterm this week…that's why this is kinda sucky…I could honestly do better but haven't got time **


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